After its discovery, antibiotics are often seen as a panacea and the humble fungus was hailed as the savior of mankind. However, our excessive reliance on the substance could backfire. Antibiotics don’t differentiate what organisms they kill inside our body and they could eradicate good bacteria inside our body. There’s no doubt that antibiotics have saved millions lives during peace and war. But, improper use could have damaging effect on our body. First of all, we should know more about the internal ecosystem onside our body. There is a delicate balance in our body should be maintained. We have symbiosis relationships with numerous species of microorganisms inside our body. When these bacteria are wiped out, we may start to encounter health problems. There are up to 4 pounds of living, active and beneficial bacteria and fungi inside our digestive system. We provide a portion of nutrients and energy from our food for these organisms, in exchange; they help us with the digestion system and prevent bad bacteria from proliferating. Some bacteria inside intestines also produce vitamin B as by-product, which is an added bonus for our body.
A healthy balance is 85 percent good bacteria and only 15 percent or less of bad bacteria. Unfortunately, bad diet and improper uses of antibiotics may slowly reverse the ratio. You should know that antibiotics only work against bacteria, so if your health problem is caused by virus and fungi; then you may not need antibiotics, which could cause unwanted side effects. As an example, numerous cases of upper respiratory infections are actually caused by fungal infections, not bacteria. A good doctor will try to diagnose your problem, instead of giving our antibiotics too easily. You should also know that cattle and poultry often get large doses of antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections. It means that meat from farmed animals could provide you with a daily dose of antibiotics. The amount could be small, but daily exposure to these antibiotics could have lasting effects on your digestion system. If you are having problem with your digestion; choosing organic, free range and grass fed meats can provide you with the much needed relief.
Bacterial imbalance in your digestive system is called dysbiosis and antibiotics often have strong role. People who have dysbiosis often have problem with their immune system. The imbalance may lead to problems, like Crohn’s disease, which can cause extreme weight loss, diarrhea, abdominal pain and in more serious cases, premature death. Fortunately, it is something that’s relatively easy to avoid. You need to avoid high stress level, high sugar consumption, lack of exercise, high alcohol intake and smoking. Instead of using antibiotics, you may actually need to take anti fungal medication, so it is important to know your condition. You may boost the amount of good bacteria in your digestion system by using probiotics. A change of diet, natural anti-bacterial treatment and regular consumption of probiotics should significantly improve your condition. You need to work with qualified doctors to ensure that your condition is properly diagnosed.